Being primarily oriented to the higher reaches of the Sierra Nevada, I have always thought of aspens as being trees of that terrain. I encountered them on pack trips into the high country. Later on I was surprised to find that they flourish in other places, too, including areas that look almost desert-like. This includes the “sagebrush country” on the east slopes of the Sierra and on out into the basin and range country.
Continue reading Orange Aspens, High Desert
The evening light at Mono Lake is often relatively plain. There can be a band of color close to the horizon right around sunset, and that color reflects in the waters of the lake. But the direct sunset light doesn’t make it to the lake or the surrounding mountains since it is block by the massive Sierra Nevada crest just to the west. Often we see a little bit of color… and a lot of somewhat dim sky. But when clouds appear, all bets are off.
Continue reading Black Point, Mono Lake, Sunset
While walking through Bath we saw the light hit the wall of this building just right, making the sign for an old business easy to read. By enlarging the image I am able to just make out some additional words that give hints about what might have been here originally: “Hay Hill Dairy. Devon and Dorset Butter Merchant. Cheese Ham & Bacon Factor. Cream Butter Eggs. Devonshire cream…” and a few more that I cannot decipher.
Continue reading Hay Hill Dairy
This photograph combines two types of subjects that fascinate and challenge me — post-color aspens and finding compositions in complexity. While the intense colors of peak-autumn aspen leaves are undeniably appealing, I also like the stage right after that when most of the leaves are gone and the skeletal white trunks are fully revealed. I also enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how to photograph extremely complex and detailed subjects like this dense grove of small trees.
Continue reading Almost Bare